


Designated Driver

by Amethystina



Category: The Losers (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe-ish, And Jake happens to be that friend, But that day is clearly not today, Cougar is a good big brother, If he wants to remain unattached, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jake is young and stupid, Joke's on you Cougar, M/M, One day Cougar might learn that bringing a vulnerable JJ home with him is a bad idea, That makes it sound super dreary, Underage Drinking, Who picks up his brother's drunk friends from parties, it's really not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 18:53:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5138789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethystina/pseuds/Amethystina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos wouldn't say that he has a habit of picking up his brother's drunk friends from parties, but whoever this Jake is really seems to need it. When Carlos eventually finds Jake — pale, shivering, and so painfully young and vulnerable — he feels he can't be blamed for wanting to take care of him.</p><p>What he doesn't expect is to find himself reluctantly attracted to the kid, but he does his best to ignore that. How hard can it be?</p><p>More or less impossible, it turns out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Designated Driver

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked this [prompt post](http://codenamecynic.tumblr.com/post/101963935827/more-au-ideas-that-the-internet-doesnt-need-part) I found on Tumblr and decided to do number 14. I am really fond of this fic, partly because writing a young JJ always makes me smile, but also because I got to write Carlos as a big brother. I think he would be an _awesome_ big brother. I gave him the same family as in my other fic [Working In Retail](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2800328/chapters/6285719) (because I'm lazy like that) and... yeah. 
> 
> This, like most other things I write, is mostly just adorable fluff with a couple of blips of angst. I hope you like it!

 

Carlos didn't think much of it when he reached to answer the phone. He might not be living at his parents' house anymore — or even in the same city — but his mother was busy with something in the kitchen and his father was visiting neighbors. Where Carlos' siblings were, more specifically the two younger ones who still _did_ live in the house, he had no idea.

"Alvarez."

There was a brief pause on the other end, accompanied by the heavy beat of music; the kind that was played so loud that it lost all semblance of coherency. It was distant, though, somewhere in the background.

"Juan?" The voice was so low and subdued that Carlos barely managed to differentiate it from the noises in the background.

"No, Carlos," he corrected automatically.

That was a common mistake. Despite being so different Carlos and Juan's voices sounded surprisingly similar over the phone. Carlos had been forced to suffer through his fair share of awkward silences, simply because people mistook him for his over-talkative, younger brother.

"Oh. Brother. Right..." There was a tremble to the words, followed by something that could only be a choked sob. "S-sorry. Never mind, I'll ju—"

"Are you okay?" Carlos couldn't help feeling concerned. He didn't know who was on the other end but he sounded young and frightened. It made all kinds of instincts kick in, most of them involving Carlos wanting to help somehow.

"Um... no?"

Carlos had no idea why the reply was phrased like a question. There was so much confusion and hopelessness in that one single word that Carlos had to close his eyes for a second. Who was this? And more importantly: why did he sound like he was the most miserable being on the planet? It made Carlos' chest ache just _listening_ to the kid.

"What do you need?" The question came instinctively. Whatever this kid's problem was, Carlos might be able to help.

The silence on the other end seemed shocked, if that was even possible. When the kid finally replied his words were hesitant.

"I was just— I need a ride."

"Where to?"

Another one of those heartbreaking, choked sobs.

"It's more a question of _from_ where..." A throat was cleared, but it didn't help the slight cracking of the kid's voice. "I've tried Juan's phone but he won't answer so I thought I could call his home number, but then you answered and... yeah... I'm drunk."

That came as no surprise and would explain the music in the background. One of Juan's friends needed a ride home from a drunken party.

Carlos glanced at his clock, frowning slightly; it wasn't even that late. How early had the kid started in order to get drunk enough to want to go home now? Or maybe there was another reason for it — the kid sounded pretty traumatized.

"Where are you?"

A brief pause.

"What?"

Carlos would have rolled his eyes if it hadn't been for the budding hope in the kid's voice. He didn't ask for a clarification because he hadn't heard or to be annoying — he was genuinely surprised by Carlos' offer.

"I'll pick you up." Carlos' conscience wouldn't allow anything else. Juan was either at a study group with his phone turned off, or out with his girlfriend. Trying to find him would take longer than it would for Carlos to pick the kid up himself. "Where are you?"

There was a muffled sound on the other end, before he got a timid reply.

"Cedar Street... urr... something."

So the kid didn't even know where he was. Great. Then again, Carlos knew where Cedar Street was and he could probably follow the sounds of the ongoing party from there.

"What's your name?" he asked carefully, not sure if the kid would actually want to disclose that information.

"Jake."

It didn't ring a bell. Not that Carlos had met a lot of Juan's friends. To him it seemed like his brother picked up a new one each month, without actually neglecting any of the older ones. Carlos had no idea how his brother managed, and he had stopped trying to keep track of them all. Granted that the influx of new friends had slowed somewhat during Juan's years at college — since he was too busy studying — but there were still too many for Carlos to remember.

Not that it mattered.

"Okay, Jake—" Carlos looked at his clock again, "—give me fifteen minutes."

"You really don't have to," Jake said, sounding more than a little pathetic. It was the kind of feeble protest you offered when you didn't actually want to dissuade people, but felt like you had to try for the sake of politeness.

Carlos held back a sigh.

"Stay where you are." He tried not to sound too overbearing, but it was difficult not to when the one he was talking to seemed so vulnerable. "I'll be there."

"Okay," Jake mumbled in reply, sniffing audibly.

"Good." Carlos was already looking around for his parents' car keys. "See you soon."

"Yeah, okay." As miserable as Jake sounded there was also an unmistakable hint of relief to his voice. That, if anything, confirmed that Carlos was doing the right thing.

So after they had hung up he went to tell his mother that he was going out and needed to borrow their car. It seemed to confuse her, but not enough to make her say no. Whenever Carlos came home to visit he rarely had places to go and especially so late at night.

A part of him wanted to tell her where he was going since she might know this Jake better than he did — Juan had a habit of bringing his friends home and their mother loved to spoil them rotten — but that was also why he eventually didn't. She would only worry and Carlos wasn't entirely sure if Jake wanted anyone else to know about this.

So he simply kissed his mother's cheek in thanks and pulled on his jacket and hat before walking out the door, car keys in hand. He couldn't quite figure out how he had ended up offering to pick up some poor kid he didn't even know, but he guessed he could see it as his good deed of the day.

 

* * *

 

He had no problem whatsoever locating the house in which the party was taking place. Mostly because it was lit up like the Fourth of July, but also because of the packs of more or less drunk college students littering the street and big, manicured lawn, cheering and dancing.

Carlos tried not to roll his eyes.

It was the richest neighborhoods in town and Carlos knew it mostly because he had spent several summers helping his uncle with the gardening. Carlos had been too young and inexperienced to get a job elsewhere, but they had needed the money and the rich and powerful didn't seem to care who they paid to do the work, as long as it got done according to their wishes. All in all, he had quite liked it, actually.

Belatedly, Carlos realized that he had forgotten to ask which of the very drunk college kids he was supposed to be looking for. He had to slow the car down to a crawl to avoid accidentally hitting one of them. He scanned the surrounding area after someone who was looking lost and lonely, since that was the only thing he really knew about kid he was there to collect.

The thought of being a college kid's designated driver made Carlos feel very old, and he had only just turned twenty-five.

Relief flooded him when he spotted a hunched-over figure sitting on the curb further down the street, clearly attempting to seem as small and unassuming as possible. The light from the party didn't quite reach that far and Carlos was pretty sure that he had found who he was looking for.

The kid didn't move when Carlos pulled up a couple of feet away and he frowned in concern. That probably wasn't a good sign. Carlos got out of the car but didn't walk too close before calling out, not wanting to scare the kid by suddenly towering above him.

"Jake?"

The kid startled anyway, and the face that turned to look at Carlos was pale and wide-eyed. Carlos felt a pull of something he couldn't quite explain or define, except that it seemed to be a jumbled mix of alarm, disbelief and an urge to protect and shelter. That wasn't exactly uncommon, but it was rare for it to blossom so strongly — and with virtual strangers.

 _Christ_. The kid barely looked old enough to _drive_ — let alone drink.

If he was in college he had to be in his first year. Carlos couldn't help wondering why on earth Juan would befriend a freshman. Then again, the need to protect and care ran in the family, so maybe Juan had taken one look at the kid and felt the exact same thing Carlos was feeling now.

Jake's smile trembled. "Um... hi." His voice was strained and he seemed to be shivering.

No, _shaking_. The kid was literally shaking, his teeth clenched to keep them from clattering. Carlos realized with a start that Jake's colorful t-shirt was wet, his bare arms folded close to his body not only to comfort himself, but to conserve heat. It wasn't cold enough to bother Carlos, but he imagined that it had to be freezing if you were soaked to the skin.

Carlos didn't even want to consider _why_ Jake was so wet. It only made him unreasonably angry and tempted to twist some arms — literally and figuratively. Instead he chose to contain and counteract the problem, as he had been trained to do, even if this involved a whole lot less explosions and gunfire than his usual missions.

He shrugged off his jacket while walking up to the kid, draping it across Jake's shoulders despite his stuttering protests. The kid was clearly freezing and Carlos refused to stand by and watch him suffer.

Big, blue eyes stared up at him from behind round glasses and Carlos crouched down, hoping that it would make him seem less imposing.

"You okay?" It was a stupid question — Jake clearly wasn't okay — but what else could he say?

Despite his obvious discomfort Jake managed a small, nervous smile, and even if he had been protesting it earlier he was already pulling Carlos' jacket tighter around his hunched shoulders. He was scrawny in a way that suggested a growth spurt that the rest of him hadn't quite caught up with yet.

Carlos bit back his urge to ask how old Jake was. It was none of his business, but he couldn't help wondering what the kid was doing there. He didn't seem to belong, not only for how young he was, but because of the slight tears in his jeans that were from actual wear, rather than store-bought. Jake wasn't rich and clearly not in the same league as the others in attendance, harsh as that may be.

Then again, that could explain why Jake was drenched and — now that Carlos was close enough to notice — smelling of chlorine. Most of these houses had outdoor pools and college hazing could be brutal, especially if you were different from your fellow students.

"I could be better," Jake replied softly, which actually earned him a couple of points in Carlos' eyes. Admitting to weaknesses was never easy, and even less so when one had to feel as exposed as Jake probably did.

"Let's go then." Carlos straightened and held out his hand to help Jake to his feet.

Jake's fingers were cold and he stumbled slightly when he rose. Carlos figured Jake must have sobered somewhat during the minutes he had spent waiting for Carlos, but he was still obviously tipsy.

Carlos had to admit that he was a tiny bit surprised by how tall the kid was, even with his hunched shoulders, and it wasn't until they were standing next to each other that Carlos realized that he had seen the kid before. It had been a very brief meeting, during which Carlos hadn't managed to register more than a bright, colorful blur of excitement and enthusiastic talking. The torrent of words had been half English, half Spanish, almost unsettlingly reminiscent of how Juan spoke, to the point where Carlos was sure that his brother was to blame.

Then again, learning Spanish by listening to Carlos' brother was probably an efficient tactic, considering the sheer amount of talking Juan engaged in. Jake's vocabulary had to be quite impressive.

Carlos didn't mention that he remembered Jake. He didn't see what good that would do, and he was also a tiny bit unnerved by how much quieter and subdued Jake was this time. Carlos couldn't help placing a hand at the small of the kids back during the few steps they had to take towards the car; it seemed like the smallest breeze might make him fall over.

It got better once they had settled inside the car and Carlos could crank up the heat. Carlos only had a fleeting thought about getting the seat wet before he shrugged it off. His parents would understand.

The kid slumped against the passenger side door, his eyes closed and breaths slowing. Carlos couldn't help glancing at him while pulling away from the curb. Jake probably wasn't as drunk as he had seemed at first glance, but Carlos still had to be prepared to pull over and let the kid throw up if necessary.

And he might be a tiny bit worried. So sue him.

"Where do you live?" Carlos asked as soon as they were leaving the classy neighborhood behind.

There was a slight pause that could have been natural if it hadn't been for how Jake stiffened.

"You can drop me off at the bus station."

"The bus station?" Carlos echoed, careful to keep any trace of judgment out of his voice.

He knew an evasive answer when he got one.

"Yeah, I can walk home from there. It's close."

If anything it was a flat out lie, but Carlos wasn't sure if he was in any position to question that. Then again, would he honestly be able to leave the kid at the bus station — cold, wet, and shivering — when he knew that he wasn't going to go home? Carlos wasn't sure why the kid didn't want to since there could be several reasons for it, each worse than the next, but abandoning him seemed like a terrible idea.

With only a slight twinge of guilt Carlos decided to simply drive back home to his own parents. He might technically be kidnapping the kid since he didn't ask for permission _or_ told Jake about it, but from what Carlos remembered Jake had seemed completely taken by Carlos' mother — and she by him. Surely it would be better for Jake to get real bed to sleep in, rather than a bench somewhere, since he didn't want or dared to go home?

Carlos' mother would never throw out one of Juan's friends, let alone one who looked to be in such desperate need of care and concern as Jake.

"You're in the military, right?"

Carlos was surprised by the question, glancing to the side to find Jake's bright eyes watching him behind half-closed lids. His gaze was surprisingly keen — not to mention intelligent — and Carlos felt a slight shiver run down his spine.

He nodded.

"Juan talks a lot about you," Jake said, smile evident in his voice. Carlos was back to looking at the road.

"Juan talks about everything," Carlos deadpanned, feeling his chest swell from Jake's laugh. It was surprisingly carefree and almost painfully adorable.

"Yeah, I know, but you in particular." Jake was slurring just a little, but that could be because he was feeling warm and relaxed for the first time in, well — Carlos had no idea how long. "He looks up to you. A lot."

It was difficult to say if Jake was speaking so openly because he was still fairly drunk, or because he always did so. Carlos was willing to bet on the latter.

"How did you two become friends?" He hoped that Jake wouldn't be insulted by the question, even if Carlos asked mainly because he couldn't understand the age gap between them. Juan was twenty-two and, as far as Carlos knew, didn't hang out with a lot of freshmen — or whatever Jake was.

The flat look Jake gave him said that the kid knew exactly why Carlos asked, but he smiled none the less.

"We met at the library on campus. He was cursing over some chemistry assignment he had and I helped him out."

Carlos couldn't help that he blinked in surprise. Juan was smart — interested and engaged in his studies in a way that Carlos had never really been able to relate to — and it was difficult to picture a kid several years younger than Juan helping _him_ with his homework. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Jake chuckled, but it sounded sad and self-depreciating.

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he mumbled, gazing out the window as if he didn't want to meet Carlos' eyes. He sighed. "Can you still be considered a wunderkind when you feel as stupid as I do now?"

Carlos had no idea what to reply to that, and he didn't get more than a couple of seconds before Jake spoke up again.

"I'm nineteen, by the way. Before you ask. I just started my third year."

It was difficult to know how to react. A part of Carlos was impressed by how clever Jake had to be, but another felt slightly appalled since it meant that he had started college at sixteen. No wonder he seemed out of place and had been given a hard time at the party — people usually felt threatened by that kind of brilliance.

More than anything, though, Carlos felt angry. He could understand if Jake wanted to be a part of the college lifestyle, but to go to a party without friends to keep an eye on him was a bad idea for _anyone_ , no matter their age. Carlos wasn't sure if he was going to be able to stop himself from ripping Juan a new one for not having been that friend. Jake probably didn't have a lot of them.

"It's not Juan's fault."

Carlos was undeniably startled by the softly spoken words, looking over at Jake with a questioning look on his face. The kid smiled and nodded towards Carlos' hands, which were gripping the steering wheel a lot tighter than strictly necessary.

"You're angry at him, aren't you? Because you think he should have been there, or at least picked up his phone when I called?" Jake rubbed his nose and sniffed, looking just a tiny bit adorable while doing so. "He told me not to go and I said I wouldn't — but I still did. So there's no need to be angry with him. He tried to stop me. It's my own fault."

How on earth had the kid managed to figure out what Carlos was thinking? He usually prided himself on being difficult to read.

As if on a cue the kid's smile widened, a mischievous spark lighting up his eyes.

"It's quite easy, really, as long as you know what to look for," Jake said, as if he was in fact reading Carlos' thoughts. "Juan has told me a lot about you — your sense of morals and how responsible you are — and most people _are_ their body language, you know? You don't talk much, but everything still shows in how you move."

Well, that was sufficiently terrifying — and more than a little impressive.

Jake only shrugged, however.

"But it doesn't really help when you don't know how to use it. I mean, I can read people fairly well, but don't always know what it means or why it happened." Jake sounded wistful. "It's a bit like having the answers to a set of questions but without actually having been given the questions. You know the result, but without the question it's still just a guess at best — nonsense you can't quite interpret."

This was getting a lot more philosophical than Carlos had expected, but he could see where the kid was coming from. Carlos relied on observations both on missions and in his everyday life. He needed it for threat assessment and to be able to predict how people would react, often in order to counteract a problem. Jake seemed to have the same skill, but might be too young to implement it as efficiently as Carlos did.

Still, it was impressive.

"You're easier than most," Jake mumbled, his eyes slipping close as he leaned his forehead against the glass.

Carlos stared in surprise; it was usually the opposite.

"I mean, yeah, you're difficult to read and I don't _actually_ know what you're thinking or feeling," Jake continued, slurring slightly, "but it's still easy. You make sense to me, somehow. More than most people. I _get_ you." Those bright, blue eyes turned towards Carlos. "How weird is that?"

Very weird. But Carlos wasn't sure if he wanted to admit that, mostly because the thought made his heart beat just a tiny bit faster than usual. He couldn't even tell if it was in alarm or excitement.

He chose to focus back on the road instead of answering. It was cowardly — he rarely ran from anything — but he couldn't quite explain the feeling growing in his chest. Elation? Intrigue?

It was probably best not to think about it.

Jake was drunk — that was surely why he said the things he did. After all, it took him until they were two blocks away from Carlos' house before he even realized that they weren't heading for the bus station.

Then again, that only made Carlos feel guilty, since the kid had obviously trusted him enough to relax and not watch the road. Jake sat up straight when he noticed, throwing Carlos a betrayed look that was clearly designed to make Carlos feel like a complete ass — never mind that he was doing this for the kid's sake.

"It's better this way," Carlos said, interrupting whatever Jake was about to say. "You know it is."

Carlos didn't look at Jake, but the way the kid slumped back against his seat seemed to suggest that he was accepting defeat.

"Is your mom going to be disappointed in me now?"

It was only the helpless, miserable quality to Jake's voice that kept Carlos from snorting from amusement. Jake seemed genuinely concerned and it wouldn't be very considerate to laugh at him. It was just that Jake would have to try a lot harder than this to do something that Carlos and his siblings hadn't already done over the years, to their mother's and father's great dismay.

"No," Carlos reassured, smiling as he pulled into the driveway, "she will take care of you."

Jake didn't move to get out of the car, staring down at his hands like a chastised child. He must really care about what Carlos' mother thought, to the point where he looked almost sick with worry.

Without thinking, Carlos reached out, placing his hand on Jake's arm. The kid stiffened a little but didn't flinch away. When he looked up his eyes were wide, frightened, and so incredibly blue that Carlos forgot what he was going to say, if only for a brief second.

"Trust me."

Jake was staring back at him, his expression open and vulnerable. Carlos felt like he should look away. As if he shouldn't be allowed to see something so pure.

"Okay." Jake's voice was soft — like his smile — and it felt like he was referring to more than just this specific incident. It felt like something much bigger was at work and while Carlos had no idea what that might be, the thought frightened him. Jake didn't agree out of blind faith, Carlos saw that much, but it still felt as binding.

The kid trusted him, and for a moment that felt like a burden Carlos wasn't sure he would be able to carry.

It took a second before he could breathe again.

He made sure to smile before giving Jake's arm a quick squeeze, hoping to reassure them both. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but something had clicked into place and he was surprised to find that his heart was still beating in his chest, calm and steady.

It felt like it should be racing.

He got out of the car, Jake following after a second or two. The kid hesitated to step onto the porch, though, looking like he was walking to his own execution — only made worse by how he was huddling inside Carlos' jacket.

Carlos rolled his eyes before gently grabbing Jake's arm and steering him towards the front door. They barely managed to get inside before Carlos' mother was upon them.

Unsurprisingly, she was more concerned with Jake's health than him being drunk, and Carlos handed him over to her far more competent hands. She herded the kid around with the ruthless, maternal efficiency she was so known for, making sure that he showered, had clean clothes to wear while she washed and dried his, and made him drink lots of water. Carlos observed the proceedings — feeling unreasonably protective — while Jake and his mother spoke with a familiarity that suggested that Jake was a regular visitor in the Alvarez household.

That was only made more obvious when Jake didn't seem surprised to be offered a bed to sleep in. That had clearly happened several times before. And that, together with the small, approving nod his mother gave him, as if to say that Carlos had done the right thing by bringing the kid here instead of driving him home, made Carlos wonder just how bad Jake's home situation was. But he knew better than to ask.

Jake was eventually sent off to bed with a big glass of water and some painkillers to take in the morning. He stopped long enough to hug Carlos' mother and give Carlos a grateful — if a bit shy — nod, before retreating to Isabel's old room, which had been turned into a guestroom once she moved out.

Carlos had a lot of questions for his mother, but judging by the concerned look on her face he would only upset her if he started asking about Jake and exactly why he seemed so at home in their house. Now was clearly not the time.

He didn't hesitate to return the hug she gave him, though, and smiled when she praised him for being so kind and considerate, even to someone he barely knew. When Carlos pointed out that he had to be heartless not to have helped the kid her smile only widened. She patted his cheek — never mind that he should have been too old for that kind of gesture — and there was no mistaking the pride in her eyes.

When Carlos went to bed less than an hour later he found himself stopping briefly in front of the door to the guestroom. It felt like he had brought home a stray puppy and he couldn't help wanting to make sure that Jake was okay. But that would have been incredibly intrusive and Carlos shook the feeling off before proceeding to his own room, telling himself that he was overreacting.

Still, a tiny part of him couldn't forget the moment in the car, when everything had narrowed down to just him and Jake, and the growing trust in those blue eyes. It had felt monumental, even if Carlos couldn't say why.

It was probably best to simply ignore it.

 

* * *

 

Jake was up surprisingly early the following morning, looking a bit worse for wear but still remarkably better compared to last night. Carlos was in the middle of preparing breakfast for the rest of the household — as he had made a habit of doing, simply because he was hardwired to get up earlier than any of the other occupants.

Not to mention that his mother deserved to have breakfast made for her after having spent so many years doing it for her children and husband. It was a small gesture, and one of the few she allowed without pointing out that Carlos was trying to spoil her.

Which he totally was, for the record.

Jake shuffled into the kitchen with his blond hair in disarray and a slight hunch to his shoulders, which gave away just how hung over he had to be. Carlos tried not to smile and instead poured a cup of coffee that he held out to the kid. The grateful, keening sound that escaped from Jake was both hilarious and adorable. He didn't even bother to fix the slightly weird angle of his glasses before he raised the cup to his lips.

The breathy moan that followed was nothing short of pornographic. Carlos almost dropped the carton of juice he had just pulled out from the fridge.

Sweet Jesus, that _had_ to be illegal.

Jake seemed unaware of his inappropriately sensual appreciation of his morning coffee, partly because his glasses has fogged over and Carlos figured he couldn't see much even if he wanted to. It was a small blessing, all things considered.

"Thanks, man, I really needed that." Jake sighed contently before taking a seat by the table. He supported his elbows against it and leaned over his coffee cup, as if he planned to absorb the caffeine through inhalation as well as ingestion.

Carlos wouldn't be surprised if Jake had attempted it more than once before.

"How are you feeling?" Carlos asked while trying to ignore the blissful smile on Jake's lips, which made him look unsettlingly attractive. The kid was nineteen, for heaven's sake. Carlos should _not_ be having those kinds of thoughts about his younger brother's friend.

"Much better." Jake awkwardly cleared his throat while Carlos kept busy, studiously not looking at him. "Thanks, for what you did last night. It would have been a long walk if you hadn't come to pick me up."

"No problem," Carlos replied easily, with a quick smile thrown in Jake's direction. He didn't feel uncomfortable, per se, but he couldn't deny that he was hyperaware of Jake's presence, in a way that Carlos knew mean that he — for one reason or another — was attracted to the kid.

That was such a bad idea.

"Do you know where Juan is?" Jake asked after a couple seconds of silence.

"With his girlfriend."

Carlos' mother had explained as much, just after Jake had gone to bed. They had deemed it wiser not to tell Juan about Jake trying to find him, though, since he would no doubt have cut his visit short — which clearly wasn't necessary when Jake was safe and sound in their guestroom.

"Oh. She's awesome." It was obvious on the tone of Jake's voice that he meant that wholeheartedly. Carlos was grateful that Jake wasn't the kind of person who would begrudge his friend happiness, even if it was at the cost of how much attention he was given.

Not that Carlos had doubted that, but still.

"She is," he agreed, before calmly continuing to prepare breakfast.

The silence that settled over the room was unexpectedly peaceful, broken only by the soft tick of the kitchen clock and the sounds of the slowly awakening neighborhood. Carlos could tell that Jake was observing him, his gaze following Carlos as he moved around the kitchen. The staring should have felt unnerving but didn't, so Carlos let him be.

By the time Jake had finished his first cup of coffee Carlos was done preparing breakfast. When he reached out to pour some coffee of his own Jake was suddenly there next to him, asking for a refill. Carlos had to give it to the kid: he could move quietly when he wanted to. The only reason that Carlos didn't flinch was because he felt strangely at ease in Jake's presence.

Maybe it was the gentle morning stillness, or because Jake didn't look all that much like a threat. But the latter was slightly unfair since Carlos knew that the kid was a lot smarter than him, and definitely not someone he should underestimate. If he had let himself believe that Jake was nothing more than the hyperactive, overexcited ball of energy from their first meeting he probably would have, but this Jake here was much calmer. Mature, almost.

Which didn't exactly help matters as far as Carlos' inappropriate attraction was concerned.

Carlos was taking the first sip of his coffee when Jake spoke up again.

"I meant what I said last night."

It was probably wholly understandable that Carlos paused in confusion, raising an eyebrow in wordless question. Jake responded with a shy smile. Carlos hadn't realized how close they were standing until that moment. He could see the pattern in Jake's eyes, and maybe even name all the different shades of blue, if he tried.

"That I get you." Jake placed his coffee on the counter next to them, his eyes intent on Carlos. "I don't know why, but I do." He tilted his head to the side. "Is that weird?"

" _Sí_." Carlos wasn't sure what to feel about that. He was used to being unreadable, but the kid had already proven to be disturbingly accurate in his observations.

That naturally made Carlos wonder if the tension he was feeling was more than just his own attraction — that maybe there was some kind of reciprocation mixed in there too. If Jake could read him so well he must have noticed, but he didn't seem disgusted or insulted. If anything, he seemed curious and interested, despite the age difference.

Carlos wasn't _that_ much older, but enough for it to be a concern.

Possibly.

Jake glanced down for a brief second, looking adorably bashful and maybe just a little bit uncertain.

"Is it also weird that I would like to get to know you better?"

Carlos had to give it to the kid: despite looking so innocent he was pretty fearless — not to mention bold. One had to be to blurt out something like that to their friend's big brother, especially after the night they'd had — and when taking into account that they barely knew each other.

The tone made it obvious in which capacity Jake wanted to get to know him.

" _Sí_ ," Carlos replied truthfully, surprised to find that Jake didn't seem discouraged by the answer.

He looked thoughtful instead, as if he was in the middle of devising some kind of plan.

"Okay, I get that it might be." Jake met his gaze, looking quite serious.

That was when Carlos finally realized that Jake wasn't fooling around. He was genuinely interested, and not in a fleeting, puppy love way. It didn't even seem to be some kind of twisted hero worship.

Carlos felt a little stunned. And flattered. But mostly stunned.

"Can I write to you?"

That didn't make him any less stunned. When had they ended up in a costume drama? Carlos had seen a fair few with Isabel and wasn't that how the courting always started?

The thought made Carlos' brain have a momentary meltdown.

Was Jake _courting_ him?

Jake obviously took Carlos' silence as hesitation.

"It's okay to say no. I'm not trying to trick you into anything." The kid raised his hands in a soothing gesture. "I just figured you're not much for phone calls, but we can do emails? Or real letters? I'm game. Just... either. Or both. Anything."

What on earth was going on? Carlos stared at Jake, feeling a lot dumber than he had in years.

The continued silence was apparently enough to make even Jake's admirable confidence waver. His gaze turned downwards and he cleared his throat.

"Okay, now this is getting really weird and awkward. Sorry..." Jake mumbled dejectedly.

Carlos couldn't exactly disagree, but he knew that was mostly his fault. He hadn't expected this. He wasn't even sure what _this_ was.

But he knew that he had to say something soon if he didn't want Jake to flee the room entirely.

"Sure."

That was _not_ what he had intended to reply.

Then again, the way Jake's head snapped up, his eyes wide with surprise and budding hope — that actually made it worth it. And really, would it be so bad to get to know the kid better? He was an interesting individual and writing to him would be safe, right? Nothing unethical about that.

"Awesome!" Jake was beaming, his smile bright enough to make Carlos' heart give an excited little skip.

Fuck.

"You won't regret it," Jake promised, and while Carlos wasn't as sure about that as Jake seemed to be, he knew better than to voice that out loud.

Especially since Lucia came wandering into the kitchen, grunting unintelligibly as she headed for the coffee machine. Carlos wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel grateful or frustrated that his little sister interrupted the conversation, but Jake had already moved on, happily wishing Lucia a good morning despite the death glare she sent his way.

This looked more like the Jake Carlos remembered, all bright smiles and cheerful enthusiasm. It was actually kind of adorable, in a puppy-like fashion. Jake in general was pretty adorable, and made Carlos fluctuate between wanting to protect him from all harm and kiss him silly.

What had Carlos gotten himself into?

 

* * *

 

Writing to Jake turned out to be not only easy, but something Carlos greatly appreciated. Jake seemed genuinely interested in not only Carlos' likes and dislikes, but how he viewed the world and what he found to be important and worthwhile. Jake never mentioned the more awkward bit from their conversation in the kitchen that morning, or asked whether Carlos would be interested in a relationship.

There was an underlying fondness to everything Jake wrote, sure, but Carlos was fairly certain that had more to do with Jake in general than who he was writing to.

Either way, it was surprisingly easy and Jake didn't seem to care that Carlos' answers were never as lengthy or in-depth and Jake's was. He just seemed happy that Carlos hadn't stopped replying.

Carlos doubted that he ever would. He enjoyed it far too much.

Despite being so many years younger and clearly less experienced in many aspects of life, Jake was still funny, insightful, and full of worthless knowledge he loved to share with the rest of the world. Carlos was never bored when he read one of Jake's emails and he found himself looking forward to them more and more as the weeks passed.

Little by little Jake stopped being Juan's friend and became a friend of Carlos' in his own right. Sometime after that he stopped being 'the kid' and simply became Jake.

Although there was nothing simple about him.

Carlos saw him every now and then when he came home to visit and Jake was always friendly, tactile, and incredibly affectionate. And while Carlos would have found those traits annoying coming from almost anyone else, he didn't when it was Jake. For some reason, Jake managed to make Carlos crave that kind of closeness even if he never had before.

The attraction that had seemed sudden and inappropriate at first began to felt natural and understandable the more he got to know Jake. There was still an age difference, but Jake wasn't nearly as vulnerable and defenseless as he might seem at first glance. If there was one thing Carlos learned pretty quickly it was that despite his innocence Jake was far from gullible — or weak.

Over the span of several months Carlos came to realize that he liked Jake — a lot. It had probably been Jake's intention all along, the sneaky little shit.

But Carlos had to give it to him: he had admirable patience and was very respectful of boundaries, even when he was wooing someone. They had known each other for months before Carlos realized that he was only postponing the inevitable and that he should probably stop being so thickheaded.

It was time to face the fact that Jake had been right all along. Jake _did_ get him — more than most — and the attraction wasn't going to go away.

Next time they met was when Carlos came to visit his family and Jake was there to pick him up at the train station. The others had claimed to be busy, but Carlos suspected that it was more a matter of gracefully bowing out, simply because they knew how much Jake treasured every second he got to spend with Carlos.

Just because Jake was patient didn't mean that he wasn't also incredibly transparent.

Carlos easily spotted Jake after stepping off the train, courtesy of Jake's tendency to tower slightly above most other people. Jake had turned twenty by then and was filling out in all the right places, the rest of him finally catching up to his height.

Jake only had to take one look at Carlos for a wide, dorky grin to spread on his lips. That in itself wasn't unusual, but this grin was giddy in a way that suggested that Jake _knew_ — just like he had always claimed to do.

And, after what Carlos had learned about him these past couple of months, he was prepared to believe that.

Jake was biting his bottom lip when Carlos came to a stop in front of him, clearly trying — and failing — to contain his excitement. Jake managed a deep, trembling breath.

"Yeah?"

The fact that Carlos didn't need any kind of clarification to know what Jake was asking for said quite a lot about how well they knew each other by then.

Carlos smiled before calmly putting his bag down.

"Yeah," he agreed. He then reached up, grabbed Jake's collar, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Jake almost ruined it with his big, stupid grin.

 

**Author's Note:**

> [CarpeDentum](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CarpeDentum) — a.k.a. my awesome fiancée — was kind enough to beta but I might have fucked it up since then. I really need to stop making edits after she's done the beta-reading. 
> 
> The original post with this fic (on Tumblr) can be found [HERE](http://amethystinawrites.tumblr.com/post/116312906232/designated-driver)


End file.
